


A Heroic Sidekick

by social_reject



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Halloween, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-30
Updated: 2015-10-30
Packaged: 2018-04-29 00:03:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5110334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/social_reject/pseuds/social_reject
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Ah, that rare moment when the sidekick becomes the hero." </p><p>Luke shows up to a Halloween party in a full Batman costume. He needs a savior; specifically a hero. Sometimes, heroes come with hazel eyes behind a sidekicks mask.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Heroic Sidekick

**Author's Note:**

> This is just a little Halloween fic, cause lets be honest, I love Halloween.  
> Hope you enjoy! :)

“You told me this was a costume party,” Luke snapped at Michael, failing to keep the animosity out of his voice as he got into the passenger seat of the car and buckled up.

Michael chuckled in reply, his grip on the steering wheel loosening fractionally as the low rumble escaped him. “It is.”

“Then why aren’t you wearing one?” Luke questioned, his frustration boiling at this point. Michael had put the car in drive, peeling out of Luke’s driveway, the house lights faded into the background as they sped off.

“I’m too cool for a costume.”

Luke rolled his eyes and clenched his jaw, not able to articulate a reply that would win against Michael. Michael’s arsenal of comebacks was strong, stocked full to the brim of sassiness.

Luke shifted in his seat, the Batman costume he was currently wearing, and sweating in, getting twisted around his middle. He pulled at the fabric, straightening it out, as he shook his head in annoyance at the older boy. He scolded himself mentally, figuring Michael would try and pull something like this, _again._ Of all the years Luke had known Michael he had managed to make Luke’s Halloween go awry somehow. When they were kids, he’d steal his candy. When they were in that awkward stage of not quite a kid, not quite a teen, Michael had told Luke’s crush of his feelings.

Just last year floored Luke as Michael accelerated, rushing off to get to the party that awaited them; the probably not costume party. The party where Luke would show up as full Batman with a casual and laughing Michael by his side. Last year had been the worst of Luke’s Halloweens, his boyfriend had broken up with him, and Michael had spilled punch on him; not just on him but  _all over him._ He’d been dragged out of the party soaking and crying.

He threw his head back into the headrest of his seat, not sure why he was even attending this party. His disposition on Halloween was jaded from all of his past experiences. But no, Michael had somehow managed to convince him it would be a good thing, a fun time. As they neared the party, cars lined on the streets and music audible from the distance, Luke readied himself for another night of terror. He was already blushing under the mask adorning his face as they opened the car doors, people in the front yard in normal clothing. He caught quite a few eyes as he entered the house by Michael’s side, but he pushed down his embarrassment with resolve and replaced it with forming plans of revenge on Michael.

Once inside the house with the music blasting, a very cliché Halloween song kicking off the playlist for the night, Luke looked around the crowd. There were a few girls dressed in animal ears, not that that was much of a costume comparatively, but it did make him feel a little bit better. A fog machine was stationed in the corner, filling the house with what was supposed to be eerie fog, trying to really drive home the theme of the party, but it fell flat, at least to Luke. Some hastily thrown up decorations scattered about the house didn’t do much to change his mind either. He knew he came in here with a bitter mind set, a hatred of Halloween already in his bones, but the cheap decorations did nothing to bring him into the spirit.

“I’ll be right back,” Michael shouted over the music, Luke instinctively reaching to pull him back, not wanting to be deserted so soon into the night.

“Michael,” Luke whined, hoping his friend wouldn’t abandon him.

“C’mon, I just got to say hi to Cal,” Michael explained, his eyes darting to the corner where the tanned boy was about to leave, motioning for Michael to follow.

“You’re not doing this to me again,” Luke warned. “You’re coming right back, okay?”

Michael waved him off with the flick of his hand, a not so convincing look on his face. “Yeah, yeah, I got it.”

As Michael took off, Luke could feel within himself he wouldn’t be seeing the boy again until the end of the night. He scoped out the house, searching for a refuge, perhaps a bathroom where he could take off and stash his costume, supremely glad he’d worn regular clothes under it. Just as his eyes landed on a solace; a closed door that would make sense of being a bathroom, a tap on his shoulder had him turning to the side, his heart faltering just a touch in his chest.

“Hey Luke, how’ve you been?” His ex’s voice called out over the music.

It was a simple question really, friendly, engaging in small talk. That’s all it was, but it had Luke wanting to gear up a reply of astronomical sass, the question coursing anything but friendly demeanor through his blood.

“I see you dressed up tonight,” came the next statement, his ex; Wyatt, scanning the costume Luke was wearing.

Wyatt stood there, in all his glory; no costume, looking around ten thousand times better than he had when they dated. Luke supposed that was probably the effect of being dumped, of wanting someone who didn’t want you back. They always seemed to look better than they had, he just hoped for his own dignity, his ex might be feeling the same way about him. Until he realized, he was dressed up tonight. Luke immediately reached for the mask covering his face and the blush spreading across his cheeks, he pulled it off, rather wanting the blush than the stupid mask. He fiddled with it in his hands as he choked out a lame reply of acknowledgement; yes, he had dressed up, oh, and he was doing just fine by the way.

“How have you been?” Luke asked finally, indulging him in the small talk he seemed to want to engage in.

“Great, actually, this past year has been awesome. I got accepted into university on scholarship and everything. And actually- uh- there’s someone I want you to meet! I think you guys will really like each other.”

Luke stood there baffled for a moment, contemplating if his ex was truly trying to set him up with someone. What a way to rub salt in the wounds. Wyatt searched the crowd, and when his eyes landed on who he wanted, he waved them over, his hands doing some crazy type of motion to catch their attention. Luke wanted to flee the scene, he was sure that much was evident, clearly written across his face, but his feet were glued to the hardwood below him.

The person came over, a girl with a bright smile and black hair tumbling down her back in waves. Now, Luke was uber confused, he knew he and Wyatt hadn’t talked in a while, but he was pretty sure he knew he was Gay. So Gay, he spelt it with a capital G-a-y. That much had been clear during their relationship.

“This is my new girlfriend!” Wyatt announced, Luke’s heart dropping. At the approach of Wyatt, his heart, stationed so carefully in his chest had dropped into his stomach, and with the new announcement he was pretty sure it was now in his ass.  

“Oh,” Luke squeaked out, desperately hoping for a hero. That a savior would swoop in and take him away.

“I’m Jess, it’s so nice to meet you, I’ve heard a lot of great things about you Luke,” the girl said.

Try as he might, Luke couldn’t find a reason to automatically dislike the girl. As weird as the situation was, he couldn’t hate her. She seemed genuine to Luke; sweet, smiling, and most importantly, making Wyatt happy. Luke figured that was all that mattered. No matter how messy the breakup had been, or how unhappy Luke was in this moment, all he wanted was for the person he had cared so deeply for to be happy. He knew his face must have been downcast as he greeted the girl, the forced smile on his face speaking more than a frown could’ve.

He shook hands with the girl, trying his best not to break eye contact awkwardly, until an arm wrapped around his waist. He was confused at first, then his brain wrote it off to Michael somehow noticing the discomfort of speaking with his ex and stepping in protectively. That is, until he turned his face to the side, a set of foreign yet undeniably beautiful hazel eyes staring back at him behind a signature Robin mask. Quickly, Luke’s eyes flitted over the person responsible for the hazel, a causal T-shirt with Robin’s logo and skinny jeans form fitting adorned his toned body, giving some comfort to the fact that Luke had dressed in full Batman attire.

“Hey babe, I’ve been looking all over for you,” the guy spoke, something in the way he was looking at Luke telling him to play along.

“I’ve just been talking with Wyatt, my ex,” Luke tried to understand what role he was playing here.

“Wyatt?” The stranger asked, confusion wrinkling his nose under the mask. He played up a false remembrance. “Ah yes, you may have mentioned him once.”

“Who is this?” Wyatt then cut in, an arch to his eyebrow writing his confusion and speculation on his face.

“This- this is my new boyfriend,” Luke said, newfound confidence surging through him as his masked hero’s hands on his waist pulled him just a bit closer.

“You can just call me Ashton though, no need for the formal title,” Ashton introduced himself, a somehow easy smile on his face as Luke looked back at him.

“You didn’t tell me you had a new boyfriend,” Wyatt mused, as if seeing that Ashton had pulled Luke closer, he reached for Jess’ hand.

“Yeah, well I do,” Luke said, fighting back the urge to yell at Wyatt that he’d done just the same with Jess, the bombardment of information standing to Wyatt’s side.

“And we’ve actually got some hosting to do, so if you don’t mind, we’re going to make our rounds now,” Ashton exclaimed, maintaining an easy demeanor as his grip on Luke’s waist shifted, turning them away from the awkward situation as Luke mumbled out a goodbye.

“Thanks,” Luke whispered, the sound around them dying down as the song ended and the people around them thinned.

“No problem, just keep walking a bit more,” Ashton said, turning his face slightly to look back at Wyatt and Jess. “They’re almost out of sight.”

They cut a corner, heading into the mostly empty kitchen. Michael stood at the island, his back pressed against the counter, Calum stood in front of him. They were talking, about God knows what when they approached, Luke reveling in the feeling of Ashton’s arm still wrapped around him. The music was dulled, only Michael and Calum left in the kitchen, their conversation mostly muted to Luke as he looked over at his hero.

“And now we’re in the clear,” Ashton laughed, tugging the mask off of his face, letting it rest on the top of his head, brushing some fallen curls out of his eyes, revealing more beauty than the first impression of concealment allowed.

“You didn’t have to do that,” Luke responded, gratitude soaking the words nonetheless. Ashton cocked his head to side as if in thought for a moment until Luke expanded his response. “But I’m really glad you did.”

“That’s alright, you looked pretty desperate to get out of there,” Ashton started. “I wasn’t about to let you suffer any longer.”

“Yeah, unlike my so called friend, _Michael_ ,” Luke thundered, throwing the words at Michael who finally broke away from Calum and offered a half assed apologetic look.

“Hey, it can’t be that bad. You met Ashton out of it,” Michael shrugged, throwing a small wink their way, Luke’s already heated cheeks brightening in their redness.

“Yeah, yeah,” Luke shot back, the annoyance rolling off his tongue.

“C’mon now, Ashton’s great,” Michael laughed uneasily.

Luke could tell that Michael knew he was in deep shit, the murderous look on Luke’s face giving way to the trouble he’d gotten himself into.

“I mean I happen to think I’m pretty great,” Ashton laughed beside Luke, offering him an adorable smile. “I did just save you and all.”

Without truly thinking about it, Luke automatically responded with, “My hero.”

“Ah, that rare moment when the sidekick becomes the hero,” Ashton giggled, brushing his long fingers over the emblem on his T-shirt. “It’s been long awaited, but it feels great.”

Luke laughed along with him, the irony of their costumes settling around them and the situation. So maybe Luke’s hero came in sidekick attire, he wasn’t about to bash costume choices, especially when his own was ten times worse. He remembered his mission, finding somewhere he could discard the bulky costume, and when the giggles subsided and his hands found a home on the fabric Ashton pretty much read his mind.

“You can take that off up in my room if you want,” he offered, swaying his head in the direction of the stairs.

“Yeah, that’d be good,” Luke replied immediately.

“Follow me,” Ashton said, heading for the stairs.

Once Luke’s foot landed on the first step, he felt compelled to explain to Ashton why he was in the costume in the first place. He told him Michael had informed him it was a costume party, Ashton laughed, replying that it was optional, and that most people tended to not dress up. They headed down a dimly lit hallway as Ashton continued to explain that he’d been wearing the T-shirt all night and had put the mask on when he saw the look of peril on Luke’s face, deciding he wasn’t going to be a bystander to the tragedy.

Ashton opened the door to his room as Luke thanked him profusely once more. Upon entering Luke was already haggling his way out of the costume, the zipper just out of his reach. Already reaching the point of embarrassment where there was no return in sight he sighed and called back Ashton who was making a retreat to give him some privacy.

“Could you unzip me?”

“Yeah- yeah, I can do that,” Ashton said almost nervously, walking back into the room. In a matter of moments Ashton’s hand was working the zipper, tugging it down Luke’s back, the cape discarded already. Once the zipper was in reach for Luke Ashton stopped and stepped away.

“Thanks,” Luke said, once again, stepping out of the costume.

Once Luke turned, his face now mere inches from Ashton’s, he paused. Ashton was watching him, biting at his lower lip, his eyes flickering up and down quickly. He stepped forward, Luke’s heart rate accelerating, unsure what was happening until Ashton’s arm reached out behind Luke and grabbed the cape.

“I would hate for this to go to waste,” Ashton laughed, tying the cape gently around Luke’s shoulders, amidst the blush that was creeping onto his cheeks and the heat spreading to his neck. “It is Halloween after all.”

“I’ve never really liked Halloween,” Luke admitted softly once Ashton’s arm had dropped, the distance between them still microscopic.

“Why?” Ashton asked, an undertone coating the word as his eyes flashed with confusion, as if he couldn’t possibly fathom why someone wouldn’t like Halloween. “It’s my favorite holiday.”

“I don’t have very good memories to go with it,” Luke mumbled, all those torturous Halloween’s bombarding him at once, making his receding blush return.

“Then why not make this one something you want to remember?” Ashton suggested, a tiny quirk turning up the corner of his mouth, his hazel eyes dancing in the light.

Luke had two questions on his mind as his eyes lingered on Ashton’s perfectly shaped lips, the quirk of his mouth endearing and enticing all in one stroke. While he wanted desperately to know exactly how he was going to make this night something worth remembering, the other question was something he didn’t mean to blurt out so suddenly.

“Can I kiss you?”

Ashton had gone still and silent for a moment, Luke’s breathing paused as his heart sank, another Horrible Halloween to add to the books, until Ashton answered him all at once. Their lips pressed together, slow and steady at first, their hands carefully roaming each other. Luke’s hands came to rest intertwined behind Ashton’s neck, Ashton’s hands settling around Luke’s waist, pulling him closer than ever before. It was a magical connection, sensations running rampant through Luke. Ashton licked at Luke’s lower lip, asking for entry. He granted him access as their feet stumbled backwards, Luke hitting the bed heavily.

He tugged Ashton closer, all thoughts not revolving around the boy on top of him clear from his mind. Luke moaned when Ashton’s mouth trailed lower, pressing kisses into his neck, Luke’s hands tugging on Ashton’s shirt, pulling him down closer to him. Sensations exploding through Luke; fireworks behind his closed eyes. He definitely wanted to remember this.

*

“Do you remember the last time we were in these costumes?” Ashton asked, their bouncing daughter attached to his hip, her wonder woman cape flowing in the October wind. Their daughter snuggled closer into Ashton’s side, her tired eyes droopy from their night of trick or treating.

Luke chuckled, his own cape tied around his shoulders once again. He recalled that night, how Ashton had somehow managed to make a memory with Luke he never wanted to forget. He also remembered how much he hated Halloween. But now, out on the streets filled with happy dressed up children, the autumn air crisp and cool in his lungs, the outrageous decorations adorning lawns, Luke couldn’t fathom how he could’ve hated it so much.

“Of course,” Luke replied.

And when he looked over at his husband who wore a heartbreakingly huge smile looking at their dressed up daughter, nothing but elation in both of their eyes, candy in their grasps, he couldn’t deny how much he had truly come to love Halloween. It was his favorite holiday.

**Author's Note:**

> Come talk with me on [Tumblr!](lashtonsillusion.tumblr.com)


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